Dascha Polanco Arrested For Assaulting A Teenage Girl

“Orange is the New Black” star Dascha Polanco spent her 33rd birthday in court on Thursday for an alleged assault on a teenage girl.

On July 29, Dascha was arrested for attacking 17-year-old Michelle Cardona, according to the criminal complaint.

Via Page Six:

“Ms. Cardona observed the defendant strike Ms. Cardona about the face and head with a closed fist at least three times, pull Ms. Cardona’s hair, and strike Ms. Cardona’s arms with the defendant’s hands and nails,” court papers show.

It’s unclear what led to the alleged beatdown inside 562 W. 190th St., where Polanco lives, according to law enforcement sources.

But Polanco had invited Cardona to her apartment via text message prior to the alleged attack, cops said.

Cardona, who suffered “bruising and redness to her face, scratches to her arms, and substantial pain,” was hospitalized for her injuries, police said.

Polanco, looking glum, appeared on the assault case in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, which happened to be her birthday. The curvy, Dominican-born beauty turned 33.

As she left the courthouse, sporting a low ponytail and dressed down in a black coat and gray slacks, she declined to comment.

“It’s a setup to try to get money and it was tape-recorded,” said her defense lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt. “This young woman was trying to extort her to drop the case. We’re confident the charges will be dismissed.”

In a cover story in Latina Magazine published in May, Polanco opened up about her struggles as a single parent and her battle with depression after losing her mother.

The Brooklyn-raised actress faces assault, attempted assault and harassment raps. She’s due back in court in January.

What a way to spend her birthday!

Dascha is the mother of a 15-year-old so I’m inclined to believe she may have been defending her child. She has too much at risk to run around randomly molly-whopping teenage girls.